Bag or luggage illuminator



March 22, 1949. w, MEGGS 2,465,029

BAG OR LUGGAGE ILLUMINATOR Filed Aug. 24, 1945 INVENTOR. W/LL/AM L. M5665 ATTD RN EYE Patented Mar. 22, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BAG R LUGGAGE ILLUMINATOR William L. Meggs, Jacksonville, Fla.

Application August 24, 1945,.Serial No. 612,479

1 Claim. 1.

This invention relates to a bag or luggage illuminator that will illuminate the interior thereof and is rendered operative when the bag or luggage is opened and inoperative when the bag or luggage is closed.

An object of this invention is to provide a device that is automatic and eliminates the necessity of manually operating the switch controlling the device to furnish illumination for the interior of the bag or luggage to which it is attached.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device that is radially movable with respect to the bag or luggage to which it is attached so that the rays of illumination will be directed exteriorly of the bag or luggage to illuminate objects remote from the interior thereof.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device that is simple in construction, is easy to install, inexpensive to manufacture and efficient in operation.

With these and other objects and advantages in view, the invention consists in the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of the several parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawin and pointed out in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification:

Figure is an elevational view of an embodiment of the invention as applied to a purse;

Figure 2. is a sectional view of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a sectional view looking in the direction of the arrows on the line d l of Figure 1'.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, the illuminating device includes a hollow cylindrical battery casing Ill having open ends l2 and M respectively which are closed by removable end plugs I6 and I8 respectively. The casing in can be made of metal or any other suitable material that is adaptable for this purpose.

Plug 16 is provided with a reduced portion 20 having recesses 22 and 24 respectively to seat the spring 26 and radially disposed pins 28 which are adapted to co-act with and seat in the L-shaped slots 30 formed in the end I2 of the casing Ill. The pins and slots are adapted to retain the reduced portion of the plug in fixed position within the open end of the casing. A short turn disengages the plug l2 when it is necessary to replace a battery 32 in the casing.

Plug I8 is provided with an internal projecting ring 34 having radially disposed pins 35 which are adapted to co-act with and seat in the L-shaped slots 38 formed in the end I lof the casing Ill. The-pins and slots a-readapted toretain the ring in fixed position within the open end of the casing.

The plug l8- isprovided with an outwardly projecting apertured projection 40 in which is movably mounted the stem: d-Zof the contact 44. The

stem d2: is provided on its outer end with a knurled knob 46; Adjacent thelsnoblfi the. stem i2. is provided with a pinlifl 'which is adapted to contact the outer end of: the projection All to-retain the contact 44. in an inoperative position. Or, the pin l8. may be seated in the recess 59 whereby the pressure of the spring 52, which is interposed between the plug I8 and contact 44, will force the contact 44- intocontact with the battery 54.

Therefore; by a slight turn of the knurled knob 45, the circuit can be broken-and the device made inoperative, and by a similar turn in a reverse direction the circuit can be completed to make the device operative.

The casing It is provided with non-conductive rings or. washers 56 and 58 respectively; The i ring 56 being secured to the casing ill by fastening. means 6.8 andprovided with a recess EiZ'inits upper periphery. At. the medial point thereof,

the ring 55 is provided with a contact pointv 64 for contact with the central electrode of' the battery 32, and contact is maintained by pressureof the spring 26 thereon. When. the casing I0 is made of metal as, shown. in the drawing, the

batteries 32- and 5d are supported-out of contact.

with the casing by sleeves stand 53 respectively which may be made'of any suitable insulating material and with which batteries of: the type:

shown are usually equipped. The battery 32 is insulated from the casing I ll by the sleeve 33, disc 55 and disc 53 engaging the spring 26. The central electrode of the battery Ed is insulated from the casing H) by the disc 58 and sleeve 53. The casing of the latter battery is electrically connected to the casing it! through the stem 42, by engagement with the contact M on the stem 42.

A flat conductor spring 66 secured to the contact point 64 has one end thereof contacting the non-conductive switch lever 68 and intermediate its ends makes contact with the flashlight bulb ill which is secured in the threaded socket I2 formed in the casing it.

The ring 58 is secured to the casing H] by fastening means 74 and is provided with a contact point l6 at its medial point for contact with the central electrode of the battery 54 and contact is maintained or broken as previously explained by the spring pressed contact 44.

A fiat conductor spring 18 secured to the contact point 16 provides positive to negative contact between the batteries 32 and 54 the conductor spring 18 passing through the recess 62 in the ring 56.

The lever 68 is pivoted by means of the pin 80 to the casing 10 and enters the slot 82 therein. A stop 84 secured to the main frame 86 of the purse is provided with an arcuate portion 90 which contacts the lever 68 to make and break the circuit of the illuminating device as will be later explained.

The casin I is provided with hinges 92 which are secured to the bag frame 86 and the hinges permit radial movement of the casing I 0 into and out of the purse as shown in Figure 4.

The casing is also provided with a shield 94 adjacent the light bulb which is adapted to diffuse the light rays of the bulb and illuminate objects internally or externally thereof and is retained on the casing l0 by means of spring projections 96.

The frame 86 of the purse is hinged at 98 in the conventional manner and is provided with a latch I00. As the wall of the body of the purse, not shown, engages the battery casing ID, the casing will be moved inwardly on the hinges 92 to engage the stationary arcuate portion 90. The arcuate portion will in turn engage the lever 68 to remove the conductor 66 from the center contact of the bulb 70 and break the circuit.

From the above description and disclosure in the drawing, it will be obvious that when the contact 44 is in operative position, the illuminating device will operate when the bag is open, but upon closing thereof the lever 68 will break the circuit and the device will be inoperative.

Therefore, it will be seen that the device is rendered active or inactive merely by opening and closing the bag.

While the device has been illustrated as being applied to a lady's hand bag of the purse-type, it can be used with any type of bag, satchel or other luggage that includes walls movable toward and away from each other when closing and opening the same.

It is thought that from the foregoing description the operation, advantages and novel features of the invention will be readily apparent.

It is to be understood that changes may be made in the various parts and combinations thereof as well as the construction thereof providing such changes fall within the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

In a purse having a pair of pivoted frame members, the combination of latch means for releasably locking said frame members together to close the purse, a portable lighting device for the purse comprising an elongated tubular casing, removable first and second plugs closing the ends of said casing, spaced non-conductive partitions secured inside said casing intermediate the ends thereof and forming with said plugs a plurality of battery compartments adapted to receive batteries therein, an incandescent lamp bulb screwthreadedly secured to said casing between said partitions, electrical conducting terminal members secured in said partitions and extending transversely through the same, spring means associated with said plugs and adapted to bias the batteries in the compartments into contact with said terminal members, a first fiat spring conductor extending from one of said terminal members substantially parallel to and spaced from the walls of said casing, said conductor extending into a battery compartment and adapted to engage a battery therein, a second flat spring conductor extending from the other of said terminal members substantially parallel to said first flat spring conductor and in contact with said incandescent lamp bulb, a non-conductive switch lever pivoted to said casing, said switch lever adapted to extend within said casing and contact said second fiat spring conductor for moving the same away from said bulb to break the circuit to the same, an arcuate element secured to said one of said frame members and contacting said lever for actuating the same, said arcuate element adapted to hold the lever in an open circuit position when said frame members are locked together and adapted to free said lever for pivotal movement by said second spring fiat conductor to close the circuit at said bulb when said frame members are pivotally separated from each other.

WILLIAM L. MEGGS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,039,205 Anderl Apr. 28, 1936 2,258,542 Cressaty Oct. 7, 1941 2,299,148 Johnson Oct. 20, 1942 2,373,390 Fuss Apr. 10, 1945 

